The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-03-16

SCENE-Bachelors' Mess at Fort Bowie,
Arizona Time--A Winter Night. The
General Veteran of the Civil War,
and an Old Forty miner, speaks
Yes, there are many, a great many,
good stories told by pioneers, some more
excellent than true. Now, Lieutenant
D., down there at the OF her end of the
table, has father who tells very many
excellent stories, and he tells them so
often at the Pioneer Society's dinners
that imagine he is beginning to believe
them himself. l have never told this
story before. 1t will explain why a
common stovepipe, like the one coming
out of that stove in the corner, is always
grim reminder, in my eyes, of early
California days. A few years after our
occupation of the State, l was stationed
in Southern California, near Los Angeles,
and one afternoon | strolled out to the
scene of the Los Angeles massacre, in
which a friend of mine, a young Of
ficer, and some enlisted men had been
killed by the MeXicans some time before.
While endeavoring to get a good idea
of the position occupied by our troops
accidentally stirred up the earth
with my shoe, and looking down I saw
something glisten Ike gold in the sun. l
picked it up and found it TO be human
finger bone, and still on IT the West
Point class ring of my dead friend,
marked with his name and the date of
his graduation. Ihad visited his family
in New England, so wrote to them, in.
closing their boys ring and explaining
how it had come into my possession. In
the course of time / received very
grateful answer, requesting me, if
could identity the young mans remains,
to have them disinterred and sent home.
found the remains and shipped them,
nicely boxed, to the Depot Quarter
master, then in an Francisco re uestiAg
him to hold them, as | would come along
in a month myself and re-ship them. In
due time received another kind letter
announcing the arrival of the remains,
and the family seemed not able to thank
me enough for what had been no trouble
to me at all. Later on, having been
granted leave of absence, which was
spending in the East, found myself In
New York City and | received an invita-
tion to visit the family again. So one
Saturday morning started and reached
the lovely old homestead, which was
beautifully situated IN New England
town. | was Hospitality received. On
the following morning, Sunday, l was
taken 10 the little cemetery and shown
my friend grave, over which had been
erected beautiful marble monument, in
scribed with his name military history,
and the date and manner of his death
After a delightful visit left, and my
leave being up, / received orders to pro
ceed to San francisco TO report for duty
as Depot Quartermaster In those days
QuartermasterS, when relieving each
other, were very careful to see that all
public propert receipted for, en- to
the last bolt was there in the storehOuse,
before touching pen to the receipts re.
lieving the other from responsibility
The amount of property was great and
it took me four days TO verify it accord
ing to the invoices. On the invoices
were some original boxes of stovepipes,
that Is to say. some which had never
been opened. While going around with
the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, on the after
noon of the fourth day, we came TO the
boxes of stovospipes. Being original
packages, l did not order them to be
opened, but satisfied myself by moving